Search

Our online glossary is here to help you make sense of the terminology used in the cell phone industry. It covers mobile
technologies, such as 3G and 4G, and even includes a bit of information on smartphone operating systems and the companies that make
the cell phones and other mobile technology devices we all use.

What is "3G"?

3G, or Third Generation, is a somewhat generic term for network technologies that the ITU classifies as part of their IMT-2000 specification. Generally, wireless network technologies must be able to provide a mobile device with a downlink connection speed of 384kbps in order to be considered a 3G technology. The most used 3G technologies are WCDMA, CDMA 1xEV-DO, and, technically, EDGE and CDMA 1xRTT.